The back-to-back world champions will need to be at their best against their on-fire South American opponents on the East Coast if they are to keep their Championship title defence on track.

All four teams in the tournament still have a chance to win the Championship, and Saturday’s clash between the All Blacks and the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland could also play a role. However, a straightforward win for South Africa will be enough to keep them in the hunt.

Pablo Matera and Siya Kolisi. Photo: X

Like the Springboks, the Pumas have already beaten both the Wallabies and the All Blacks this season, which makes the Argentines a serious threat. They will be confident they can roll over the world champions in Durban again. Back in 2015, the Pumas stunned the Boks with a 37-25 victory in Durban – their first-ever win against the nation that taught them rugby.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said they are approaching the Durban clash like a semi-final and will leave no stone unturned in their quest for another win.

“Playing Test rugby is all about trying to win the game. For us, tomorrow feels like a semi-final because both we and Argentina have the chance to win the Rugby Championship.” 

“We just want to play winning rugby – no matter what it takes. It hasn’t been an easy year, but we’ve shown resilience, and now we want to make the most of this opportunity.”

Kolisi said the Argentines are no longer the whipping boys of world rugby. They know how to challenge big teams like New Zealand and Australia, so it will be crucial for the Boks to be ready both mentally and physically for this tough Test.

“Argentina are a quality side who don’t always get the credit they deserve.” 

Springbok squad to face Los Pumas in Durban. Photo: SA Rugby

“They’re improving all the time, and we know the passion, emotion, and technical ability they’ll bring. For us, it’s about respecting that challenge, taking our chances, and putting ourselves in the best position to achieve something special as a group – winning the Rugby Championship back-to-back.”

Saturday’s Test between the Springboks and Argentina at Kings Park in Durban will kick off at 17:00.

Springboks – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter

Replacements – 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 André Esterhuizen

Argentina – 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Lucas Paulos, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 1 Mayco Vivas

Replacements – 6 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Pedro Rubiolo, 21 Juan Martín González, 22 Simón Benítez Cruz, 23 Tomás Albornoz

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg